Apparatus and methods for cooling platform regions of turbine rotor blades
a technology of turbine rotor blades and apparatus, which is applied in the direction of liquid fuel engines, vessel construction, marine propulsion, etc., can solve the problems of low-cycle fatigue cracking, oxidation, creep,
Active Publication Date: 2014-10-07
GE INFRASTRUCTURE TECH INT LLC
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- Abstract
- Description
- Claims
- Application Information
AI Technical Summary
Benefits of technology
The solution provides efficient, flexible, and cost-effective active platform cooling, effectively addressing the cooling challenges of the platform region by ensuring comprehensive coolant distribution and preventing hot gas ingestion, thereby enhancing the durability and performance of turbine rotor blades.
Problems solved by technology
In operation, the rotational velocity of the turbine induces mechanical loading that creates highly stressed regions along the platform 110 that, when coupled with high temperatures, ultimately cause the formation of operational defects, such as oxidation, creep, low-cycle fatigue cracking, and others.
These defects, of course, negatively impact the useful life of the rotor blade 100.
However, as one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, the platform region 110 presents certain design challenges that make it difficult to cool in this manner.
This adds a great degree of difficulty and complexity to installation and pre-installation flow testing.
A second disadvantage is that the integrity of the cavity 119 formed between adjacent rotor blades 100 is dependent on how well the perimeter of the cavity 119 is sealed.
Inadequate sealing may result in inadequate platform cooling and / or wasted cooling air.
A third disadvantage is the inherent risk that hot gas path gases may be ingested into the cavity 119 or the platform itself 110.
However, conventional designs of this nature have several limitations or drawbacks.
First, as illustrated, only a single circuit is provided on each side of the airfoil 102 and, thus, there is the disadvantage of having limited control of the amount of cooling air used at different locations in the platform 110.
Second, conventional designs of this type have a coverage area that is generally limited.
Third, to obtain better coverage with intricately formed platform cooling channels 120, manufacturing costs increase dramatically, particularly if the cooling channels having shapes that require a casting process to form.
Fourth, these conventional designs typically dump coolant into the hot gas path after usage and before the coolant is completely exhausted, which negatively affects the efficiency of the engine.
Fifth, conventional designs of this nature generally have little flexibility.
In addition, these types of conventional designs are difficult to repair or refurbish.
As a result, conventional platform cooling designs are lacking in one or more important areas.
Method used
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[0029]It will be appreciated that turbine blades that are cooled via the internal circulation of a coolant typically include an interior cooling passage 116 that extends radially outward from the root, through the platform region, and into the airfoil, as described above in relation to several conventional cooling designs. It will be appreciated that certain embodiments of the present invention may be used in conjunction with conventional coolant passages to enhance or enable efficient active platform cooling, and the present invention is discussed in connection with a common design: an interior cooling passage 116 having a winding or serpentine configuration. As depicted in FIG. 7, the serpentine path is typically configured to allow a one-way flow of coolant and includes features that promote the exchange of heat between the coolant and the surrounding rotor blade 100. In operation, a pressurized coolant, which typically is compressed air bled from the compressor (though other typ...
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Abstract
A platform cooling arrangement in a turbine rotor blade having a platform that includes an interior cooling passage formed therein. The platform cooling arrangement may include: a main plenum residing just inboard of the planar topside and extending from an aft position to a forward position within one of the pressure side and the suction side of the platform, the main plenum having a longitudinal axis that is approximately parallel to the planar topside; a supply plenum that extends between the main plenum and the interior cooling passage; and a plurality of cooling apertures, each cooling aperture extending from one of the pressure side and the suction side slashface to a connection with the main plenum.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present application relates generally to combustion turbine engines, which, as used herein and unless specifically stated otherwise, includes all types of combustion turbine engines, such as those used in power generation and aircraft engines. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, the present application relates to apparatus, systems and / or methods for cooling the platform region of turbine rotor blades.[0002]A gas turbine engine typically includes a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. The compressor and turbine generally include rows of airfoils or blades that are axially stacked in stages. Each stage typically includes a row of circumferentially spaced stator blades, which are fixed, and a set of circumferentially spaced rotor blades, which rotate about a central axis or shaft. In operation, the rotor blades in the compressor are rotated about the shaft to compress a flow of air. The compressed air is then used within the combust...
Claims
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IPC IPC(8): F01D5/18F01D5/08F01D5/30
CPCF01D5/081F01D5/3007F05D2240/81Y02T50/676F05D2250/185F05D2250/184F05D2260/201Y10T29/49341Y02T50/60
InventorELLIS, SCOTT EDMONDHYNUM, DANIEL ALANHARRIS, JR., JOHN WESLEY
OwnerGE INFRASTRUCTURE TECH INT LLC